A Song of Triumph (The Seventh Trumpet) | Revelation 11:15-19 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

The Bible teaches that God Almighty has appointed seven trumpets to signal a remarkable series of events in the last days. When the first trumpet is sounded, a third of this very planet will be consumed by hail and fire. The second alarm will call for something like a great mountain that will crash into the sea turning it into blood, and destroying a third of its creatures and even the ships on it. The third sound will invite a star from heaven to destroy a third of the rivers and the springs of water that will make it deadly to drink. The fourth, the Bible tells us, will actually dim a third of the sun, moon, and stars.

The fifth trumpet will actually summon some of the most vicious and heinous demons to torment the inhabitants of the earth for a total of five months. And the sixth summons four high ranking fallen angels to lead the charge in slaying a third of the human population. As unimaginable as these things are, there is yet one more trumpet to be sounded. And unlike the previous ones, the seventh trumpet will not set into motion, at least directly, any cataclysmic event. Instead, this final climactic blast will awaken the hearts of those in heaven to offer exuberant praise and worship.

For what reason? Well, as we are about to read, because something is about to transpire that the redeemed have been waiting and praying for across the ages. And we're going to see that together in Revelation chapter 11 beginning in verse 15, and I invite you to look at it with me as we seek to complete this chapter this afternoon. Here's what the word of God says. Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet and there were loud voices in heaven saying, the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.

And the 24 elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God saying, we give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations rage, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth. Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. Pray with me.

Lord, you've been with us. We pray that you would go before us in the reading and explanation of your word. We pray that your son would be exalted. We pray that our hearts would be uplifted. And we pray that in all these things, your will would be done.

That you would be blessed as we receive your blessing. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, you know that on Friday nights we're studying Ezra, but before that we've spent many, many months studying the books of first and second Kings. And if you were there for those studies, then you would recall that on many occasions, whenever a new ruler was coronated, it was sometimes accompanied by the sound of a trumpet to announce his enthronement.

And that is precisely what we are seeing here. That that's the reflection that there is an announcement being made with this seven trumpet, and it is one that focuses on the per person of Jesus Christ. You see the reason why there is such a strong and joyful reaction to this sound is because there is this long awaited promise that is ready to be fulfilled. The promise of God's eternal kingdom coming to earth and being established forever and ever. And this is so imminent.

This is so near that it's being recognized in this very moment. Christ is about to return in this description of God's prophetic timeline of the last days by this moment. At this juncture, we're being told that Christ is about to bring the full manifestation of his kingdom to this world. And this is something that stirs the hearts of these worshipers in obvious and even subtle ways. And I want you to see something.

As we look at this song of triumph and compare it to other portions of the book of Revelation. So if you have Revelation open, go back to chapter one. I want you to see something here in verse four of Revelation one. Revelation one verse four. John to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne.

Go down to verse eight of chapter one. I am the alpha and the omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come the almighty. Go to chapter four verse eight now. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings are full of eyes all around and within, and the and day and night, they never cease to say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty who was and is and is to come. This declaration of the eternality of God and the wide span of his ways is repeated in the same way as we just saw in all these occurrences.

Right? But did you notice what was omitted in that similar phrase in the act of worship of chapter 11? Look at it again with me. Revelation 11 verse 16. And the 24 elders who sit on their thrones before God fell in their faces and worship God saying, we give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, full stop.

For you have taken your great power and begun to reign. What's missing this time? Who is to come. Why? Because he's about to come.

Christ is about to fulfill that very part. He's about to make his way into this world and the seventh trumpet announces his enthronement. It's preparing us for it. But the coronation of the Lord Jesus is not the only thing that's being celebrated here. You have to understand that this celestial choir has a comprehensive understanding of the things that will follow as a result of Christ establishing his throne on the earth.

And there are at least five things, at least five things that we can examine from these verses that we read together, and we're gonna look at it. But before we look at it, I I wanna present something. I wanna present by way of example, what I pray and hope our response to these truths will be. Look at the 24 elders and see what happens to them again in verse 16. It says here, and the 24 elders who sit on the thrones before God fell on their faces and worship God.

So the revelation of the return of Christ was so profound, so forceful, that it catapulted these high ranking beings off their seats of honor, and planted them on the lowest place possible on their faces before the presence of God. And I can't help but think that our heart should respond in a similar way as we hear this message. That we too would experience a fresh sense of surrender, a rush of adoration towards Christ as we are going to remember that this Jesus that we love, this Jesus that has saved us from our sins is going to come back and we will see him. We will behold him, and we will see at least five things happening as a result of it. And so let's consider this now together.

The first thing that we can expect at the return of Christ is that this world will be conquered by his kingdom. This world will be conquered by his kingdom. I find it fascinating that the voices in verse 15 do not say the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. It doesn't say kingdoms. Look again.

What does it say in verse 15? The kingdom, singular. He's not speaking in the plural here, and this detail reminds us of a crucial truth of the world that we live in. That although there are diverse nations, and there are unique governments, and there are there are different ideas of politics being implemented, there are diverse cultures absolutely. But in reality, everything is ultimately ruled under one kingdom and that is Satan's.

That is Satan's kingdom. And this is something that the Apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation, always believed and always taught. Let me remind you of a known verse from his first epistle in first John five nineteen. John says, we know that we are from God and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. The whole world lies in the power of the evil.

What a jolting thought. That the world you and I live in is dominated by Satan. Only because God has permitted him to administer a large amount of influence in this present age. But what's very heartbreaking about this statement John makes in first John five nineteen, is the word that he uses concerning our world. It lies in the power of the evil one.

That word lies in the original language denotes the posture of a baby, which means that the world is not struggling, resisting, or fighting against this invisible evil spiritual reign. It voluntarily rests in the grip of Satan. It lies in the power of the evil one. Moreover, John tells us that not just part of the world, not just certain nations, but the whole world is under his domain. That means our politics, our entertainment, our economy, our cultures, alternative religions, and expressions of spirituality have a level of satanic influence behind them.

And if it wasn't for God's common grace of operating in our world, then we would see hell on earth. But even with God's grace being dispensed every single day, we still have to understand and comprehend that Satan is at work in every sphere of society. And that is not meant to cause any of us to live in paranoia because it easily can. What we are told according to John is that we should know this so that we can be discerning, that we can be cautious, that that we should be alert as we navigate through this life, dependent on the Lord, understanding this believer, please hear me. You and I are living in enemy territory.

Every single moment of our lives, we are living in enemy territory. This world is not neutral towards Christians. It is hostile. Temptations, deceptions and even persecutions are lurking all around us from the moment you wake up and get out of your bed, to the moment you return to lay your heavy head on that pillow. You and I are always at war.

And that war like mentality should change the way you approach everything, including your relationship with the Lord and the church, how you engage with everything that comes your way. But here's the good news about Christ, that there is an appointed hour when he will actually physically, bodily invade this world, overthrow Satan's tyranny, plant his flag on every single hill, and we're gonna see an awesome thing. The whole world will be under his influence. Every corner of our culture, every facet of our society will be under his authority. And I'm afraid that many Christians have an overly simplistic understanding of the last days.

Summarized usually in, well there's a day coming where Christ is gonna come, snatch us all away, judge the world to hell while we're tucked away safe in eternity. The doctrine of the return of Christ is much more triumphant than that. And here's a hint, Christ is coming for his bride, but he's gonna do much more than that. He's going to again come and terminate Satan's reign. And then with the redeemed, he is going to promote many of his church to actually live in positions of authority to rule and reign with him according to Revelation 20 for a thousand years as we witness what the world has never seen.

And that is a perfect government. Where Christ will for that length of time declare to the generations that he is the true king, and that only his government can bring true peace and true justice. And when Christ does come to take over the kingdom of this world, he will fulfill what Zechariah fourteen nine prophesied. That the Lord will become the king over all the earth. And in that day, the Lord will be one and his name one.

The first thing that we can expect when Christ comes back is that he's going to conquer this world. But number two, the dead will be judged. That's what we find near the start of verse 18. Look again with me. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged.

So in the same way that the the rule of Christ will be universal, so will his judgment be. Every single person, man or woman, they will stand before the tribunal of God. And in that moment, he will determine their eternal fate with perfect justice. And so extensive is this judgment that even the dead will not be able to escape and in fact, they've sealed their fate once they have died. Now what's this judgment going to be about exactly?

I believe this the same verse gives us a clue. Look again at the beginning of verse 18, the nations raged but your wrath came. And then he speaks about judgment. So what are the nations so angry about? Well, we're gonna find out in a moment here, but this is what it shows us thus far, that God's judgment, his scrutiny will confront a raging world, an infuriated people.

And the reason why they are so enraged is because of God and his reign. That's the context. Is it not? Christ's kingdom is coming. The nations that the thought of Christ coming and ruling has caused them to be inflamed with such anger, and he will judge them for it.

These lyrics are very reminiscent of Psalm two, are they not? Remember how much of Revelation is absolutely saturated with the old testament. What did Psalm two say in the beginning? Well the Psalmist asked the question, why do the nations rage? And the peoples plot in vain.

The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their accords from us. Here's the translation. The nations are enraged because they cannot fathom that the Lord and his anointed would seek to place their yoke upon them. They view his leadership as intolerable. They understand that his his lordship is an unwelcome divine restraint, and so they will oppose him.

The world will actually oppose Christ up to the very moment that he makes himself visible in all his glory and power. And yes, it is true that the world up abhors the thought of Christ material reign, but let me remind you something. They deny and reject his spiritual reign just as much as you and I experience his reign today. Christ is not going to become king when he comes back. He is king now, but his kingship will be in full display.

And the way he rules and reigns now is spiritually in our hearts through his church. And I wanna make the case that the world is just as vehemently upset and opposed to the concept of Christ ruling over them now as they will be when he comes back. And here's a test for you and I to know if we're worldly. If we're like the world, do you desire his rule and reign? Do you desire his kingship over your life?

That determines if you truly belong to him. And and the way we prove it ultimately is by the way we live. So when Christ comes back, he will meet the unholy rebellious rage of the world with his holy unstoppable wrath. The essence of this judgment is Christ confronting the living and the dead, who did not joyfully surrender to his lordship when they had the chance. The dead will be judged.

Number three, the redeemed will be rewarded. Look again at the middle of verse 18. It's right in the middle actually. And for rewarding your servants the prophets and saints. What a wonderful promise.

So while an angry world should expect wrath, the redeemed anticipates rewards. Not wrath, rewards. And in case you're listening to this message and you're unfamiliar with the the central message of our faith, Christ is not coming back with the possible reward of our salvation depending on how you lived. No. No.

No. No. His salvation is a free gift that has already been given and received by your faith. That being said, the rewards that he will come with are for the redeemed who have already experienced his grace and received it by faith, but will faithfulness to him. That's what's in view here.

So it's the rewards for those who have been redeemed. His servants, the prophets, the saints, those who fear your name. So we're not waiting hoping that Christ is going to save us. I hope that my name is written in the lamb's book of life. That's been said and done.

However, there will be an evaluation about how you and I lived with the truths that we have in the word of God as Christ being our Lord. This is what we have to anticipate. And this is so marvelous because God's way of judging is so different than man's. Look at the last phrase of this verse. We see here that it will be yes, the servants, the prophets, the saints, and those who fear your name, But he mentions the small and great.

Do you see that? Both small and great. What does he mean by that? Well, it's the encouraging truth that the Lord is ready to honor both those who are widely recognized, highly praised and appreciated, and those who go largely unnoticed by the world, and especially the church. Both small and great.

You may be here today as a genuine follower of Christ. You love him. You adore him. You serve him. You are steadfast.

You you you come to church and you you love the bride of Christ. And at the same time, you from time to time look at your own life and think, I'm just I'm very ordinary. And I don't know if my contributions to the kingdom actually matter much. In fact, they might be meager actually. And if that is you, I want you to be so encouraged today with this truth in this verse, that if you are faithful, God will reward you.

God will reward you. You know, you and I were reflecting last time we were together in this book about how the great city of Jerusalem in God's eyes was condemned, was vile, was morally bankrupt. Great in the sight of man, but in God's view, so found wanting, so lacking. The way God perceives things is extremely humbling and sobering. And I was reflecting on this earlier this week of how the Lord looks at people way differently than you and I do.

And what came to mind was what the angel told Zechariah, who would be the father of that great man of God, John the Baptist. And I wanna read to you what the angel told Zechariah, and it's for you as well. In Luke one fourteen, listen to these words. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. Verse 15, for he will be great before the Lord.

And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. So many today are pursuing an understanding of greatness that is worldly. That are tirelessly disciplining themselves because they are motivated by a secular notion of legacy. I wanna leave a legacy for my family. I wanna leave a legacy for my generation.

And what you find here instead is that if you and I want to attain unfading, everlasting reward, all you have to do in your ambition is seek to be great before the Lord. Do you see that in verse 15? He shall be great before the Lord. And how God views greatness is a strong contrast to how the world measures it. And all I have to be preoccupied with on a daily basis is to understand how the Lord esteems greatness, and then to pursue it trusting that though I may be overlooked, though I may be underappreciated, though I may be ignored.

Oh, there's a day coming where he will personally reward me, and his reward will outweigh the prizes of 10 thousands of your companions who may express their gratitude for you. It'll be from the prince of peace himself. And I'm reminded from this that, oh, God, you must be my primary audience all the time. You are the one that I am seeking to please. And when you listen, when you live in that reality, I assure you this, the back breaking pressures of worldly success and the agonizing lies of being a failure will roll off your shoulders.

He will come to reward the redeemed. But fourthly, the last part of verse 18, we read an interesting declaration. And for destroying the destroyers of the earth. The fourth thing that we can expect when Christ comes back is a destruction of the wicked. The wicked will be destroyed.

Listen, we're all sinners. Each of us have fallen short of the glory of God, and yet, the Bible tells us that there are different categories of evil that can be committed. And what's being highlighted here is not those who pollute the environment, or who are careless towards the ecosystem, but those who are ambitiously seeking to corrupt the world through their evil. Especially those in powerful positions and platforms of influence. God is going to target the destroyers of the earth.

Meaning, in context, he's gonna come after the Antichrist. His minions and his evil empire. Absolutely. But this also encompasses anyone who has promoted or encouraged sin in ways that disintegrate the fabric of society. Christ is keeping in mind those who are leading the charge or adding fuel to the fire that is destroying this world.

So let me be very clear. Anyone who advocates for the murder of children in the womb is a destroyer of the earth. Anyone who encourages someone to believe that they are not the gender God assigned at birth is a destroyer of the earth. Anybody who teaches and advocates and encourages people to marry of the same sex is assaulting the very bedrock of civilization and is a destroyer of the earth. Anybody who has hunted down or harassed a Christian or the church, who by the word of God is identified as the salt and the light of the earth, is a destroyer of the earth.

Christ is coming for those who destroy the earth. And here's hope if you have played a part in that. That even if you have done something to harm God's intended world, what God has designed for his creation, you can call out to him and he will forgive you completely. Totally. And not only will he forgive you, he will adopt you.

And not only will he adopt you, he will crown you and reward you should you remain faithful to him. But all for those who are adamant and stubborn and convinced that they are doing a world a favor by destroying it according to the authority of God's word. I say to you, you will be destroyed. Christ himself will destroy you. Wrath is looming over your head, and you must flee the wrath to come, and hide yourself in Christ while you have life.

The wicked will be destroyed. Finally, and what I am looking forward to the most is what we find in verse 19. And God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and earthquake, and heavy hail. The fullness of God's presence will be restored.

This is symbolically portrayed by John's words in this verse as he sees the unthinkable. You have to understand that John has a Jewish mind. He is a Jew. And he understands that for centuries, the Ark of the Covenant was veiled. It was designed to be hidden.

It was not meant for the onlooker or the common gaze. Even the most privileged in Israel, the high priest only had a single day to get a glance of this golden chest piece that symbolized God's presence on earth. And yet at this point in this vision, as he hears this amazing song being sung, he also sees the temple in heaven opening and the ark of the covenant in complete view. Signifying what? That at Christ's coronation, we will know the fullness of his presence.

What was commonly known to be concealed, now emerges for all to behold. And so here's the message of this, the nations can expect God's wrath, but you and I who are righteous in Christ are being prepared to have full access and unending enjoyment of communion with God himself. Listen, whatever testimonies that you have known of the reality of God, whatever sweetness you have tasted in your relationship with Christ, are but a few drops of a passing cloud in comparison to the cascade of glory that awaits you as you enter into this realm and are washed by it endlessly. This is what you and I get to have. This is our inheritance.

This is what awaits all of those who are in Christ whether they die and enter into that world or if Christ comes back and brings that world to us. And this is something that the bible looks forward to over and over again. Again, the same way that I believe that many believers, precious believers, have a very limited understanding of the last days. They also have a very limited understanding of heaven and the heaven that Christ will bring. If you look at the language of the New Testament, what the greatest men of God looked forward to the most was Christ himself, an unhindered fellowship with man.

Let me give you familiar verses that many failed to meditate on. Listen to Paul's words, you don't have to turn there but just soak this in. In Philippians one twenty three he says, I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and not be in heaven, but what? Be with Christ.

Be with Christ for that is far better. What's far better? Being with Christ. Wherever Christ is, that's where heaven is. And Paul says as he is contemplating his potential martyrdom, I just I can't wait to be with him.

Listen to how he encourages the believers. In first Thessalonians four seventeen, then we who are alive, who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, so we will always be with the Lord. Do you see that? With him. With him.

With him. So that's why we are we are really strange as Christians, because we can actually smile at death because it's the portal to being with Christ. But what we're being told here is ready or not, Christ is gonna come with all his glory, And we will marvel at it, and we will enjoy it, we will savor it, and we will sit there never bored with the company of Christ. Never. I'm sure there are some people in your life, even for the severe introvert that you enjoy being with, with all their limitations and all their problems and all their imperfections, but there is one who will radiate so much joy and peace and power that it will keep you captivated for eons.

That's what heaven is. And John gets a symbolic picture of it. This arc now is in full view, and as Christ comes back, he's gonna bring a measure of his glory that you cannot even understand with your mind today. Do we long for the same? Do we yearn for it?

Can we echo this refrain of this song, the song of triumph? Can I ask you this very pointed question? Do you find yourself yearning for it? Do you find yourself meditating on it? Do you find yourself praying for it?

I always enjoy in my bible reading about the introduction of any individual in holy writ, Because the bible has a principle that whenever we are introduced to a person in the scriptures, what we find at first impression is very telling. And my mind as I am just chewing on these truths, went to an obscure figure by the name of Simeon. Simeon, Simeon, Simeon. That old man, who had the privilege of carrying in his arms the Messiah as a baby. But let me remind you what the Holy Spirit says about Simeon in Luke chapter two verse 25.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him. What a way to introduce this man. His righteousness and his devotion is connected to his patient waiting for the everlasting kingdom of the son of David to arrive in his lifetime. So if you were to open up Simeon's heart, what you would find is a heartbeat that continually was beating for the manifest reality of the kingdom that God spoke of in the Holy Scriptures.

And I can't help but look at my own life and ask, do I find myself waiting for the same? When my mind goes into a default state, does it ever visit the thought that Christ will come back with his kingdom and furnish me for it? He will make everything right. He'll make me right. And I will see him face to face and enjoy him for eternity.

Do I ever think about that? And Simeon knew it in part. He he got to explore the the reality of Christ coming in his first advent, but the fullness of it is yet to come. And according to the book of Revelation, before it does come, though it is around the corner that the seventh trumpet is blast, it's about to happen, there still awaits a full set of judgments before it does. Final observation before we break bread.

Look back at verse 19 after we learn about the ark of his covenant. The last sentence there. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peal of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. What's happening here? A storm is brewing.

Why? Because yes, the seventh trumpet announces the coronation of Christ, but it also calls for the pouring out of the seven bowls of God's wrath to make it happen. And that is what you and I will study in the coming weeks. And the fact that Christ's inauguration is being announced here, shows that the final sets of judgments have to be very quick. It will be a short sequence.

It will happen perhaps in a matter of days, at longest weeks. And you're gonna get that sense when we read these bowls being poured out, that they are rapid fire, which makes sense in our understanding of why Christ's coming is announced. It's not gonna be very long, and we're gonna see that together. Let's prepare our hearts. We thank you, father, that the song of triumph belongs to us as well.

Lord, we can't wait for the day where you do conquer this world, and that you will show the world that you are the true king. Lord, we thank you that you will make everything right. We thank you that you'll reward those who have served you even even the small and insignificant. We thank you, oh God, that you will end Satan's reign, and that you will clean up everything that he has destroyed. You will restore it.

You'll regenerate it. And Lord we thank you that the ultimate prize belongs to each of us and that is the complete realization of your presence before us. We may not understand how that will be, but we believe your word and look forward to it. And Lord, as we come to this table, we are reminded of how that is made possible. That before you come a second time, you came the first time.

And that you shed your blood, and that you lived out our obedience, and that you transmitted your righteousness. You imputed it unto us, and that we are made perfect and fit for eternity because of your grace. Help us rejoice in this promise that has become our reality today. We give you glory and thanks in Jesus' name. Amen.

As the praise team comes, we're ready to sing and rejoice over these things. Just examine your heart, take your time to really reflect on what we're about to do, and in a moment we will come and eat together. Let's stand.